Software engineer levels years of experience Tag. The average base salary of an SWE-III is $274K per year. $120,000 - $160,000+ ₹14 - ₹30 lakhs: L4: Software Engineer III: 2 to 4 years of experience MSc students enter at this level. This includes bonuses, tips, and overtime pay. They know enough to switch from software engineering to engineering management. Therefore, their salaries can range considerably but are usually quite high. Software development or technology companies usually form career ladders to Jan 1, 2023 · At Meta, entry-level software engineers start at the E3 level and can advance to higher levels like M2 (Software Engineering Manager) or E8 (Principle Software Engineer), depending on their skills and experience. Check out our 2020 report 🎙 View. ICT6(Level 5): Software Engineer V Aug 14, 2024 · This may involve pursuing advanced degrees, certifications, or specialized training courses to deepen expertise in specific areas relevant to software engineering. In contrast, Google designates its entry-level software engineers as L3. Like principal staff engineers, they may manage teams of individuals and make decisions regarding the implementation of new programs and directives. $160,000 - $220,000+ ₹30 - ₹45 lakhs: L5: Senior Software Engineer Manager I: 4 to 8 years PhD students enter at this level Jun 12, 2020 · Engineering Director: 10+ years of experience and ~5 years of experience leading an engineering team and managing engineers. A level 3 staff engineer is a mid-level engineer bridging the gap between fresher engineers and top Level Title Average Salary (USD) Description; Level 3: Software Engineer I: $120,000 - $150,000: Entry-level engineers (0-2 years of experience) who focus on learning and coding. Level 4, E3, SWEII. May 26, 2023 · They play a vital role in the success of a project. Feb 16, 2025 · Each Software Engineer level at Apple is granted based on the experience and skill expected from the role: ICT2: Usually hire new graduates at this level. For 2-4 years of experience, the pay typically rises to $82,536. On average, it takes about 6 years of experience to be considered a senior software engineer. View the compensation for all companies here . Dec 4, 2020 · A steaming cup of java stands beside your poised fingers as you tap Software Engineer into the search parameters of LinkedIn Jobs. View more Software Engineer salary ranges with breakdowns by base, stock, and bonus amounts. Jan 15, 2019 · By Alex Ewerlöf I have been in the software business for 2 decades. Some senior software engineers are lucky that years of experience is the metric because a college graduate might be able to run circles around them. Jan 15, 2025 · Examples of mid-level software engineer positions include: Mid-level software engineer. Sep 3, 2024 · At Netflix, software engineers are classified into several levels based on their experience and impact within the company. Nov 13, 2019 · Your guide to what software engineering job titles really mean, how companies standardize levels, and how they relate to your work and pay. Lockheed levels: E-1 Associate Engineer (0-2 yrs) E-2 Engineer (2-5 yrs) E-3 Senior Engineer (5-9 yrs) E-4 Staff Engineer (9-15 yrs) E-5 Sr. Typically 0-2 years of experience. Oct 13, 2020 · We’ve determined that senior software engineer 2 is the point where our employees can choose not to push their technical skills further. Oct 11, 2024 · For software engineers, this is the road most traveled. Instantaneously, 535 job postings populate your screen: Staff Software Engineer, Senior Applications Engineer, Engineering Ninja, Program Manager. SDE-1 Vs SDE-2 Vs SDE-3: Key Differences. With 1-2 years of experience, the average salary increases to $80,837. The expectation is that you should be able to complete assigned tasks without help. Technology companies or software development companies typically create career ladders to outline specific job levels for engineers. L5- Senior Software Engineer: 6-9 years of industry experience. fyi, I threw together a quick and easy visualization to help understand leveling, yoe (years of experience), and median total compensation across each of the 6 FAANGs. Senior Staff Software Engineer Description: A more advanced version of the Staff Software Engineer role. That's like 70-90k out of college. To qualify for the same, you must have 10+ years of experience. Engineer I or Junior Engineer. Job postings for mid-level or intermediate software engineers may be listed under levels such as "software engineer III" or "engineer 3. Level 7. We categorize Product Manager compensation into four levels based on years of experience: Entry (0–3 years), Experienced (4–6 years), Senior (7–10 years), and Leader (11+ years). This senior team member level is equivalent to a Team Lead or a Staff Engineer. However, this is not a hard and fast rule, as different companies have varying criteria for what they consider a “senior” level role. Nov 18, 2022 · Some companies use ‘Software Engineer’ and ‘Senior Software Engineer’ to address the employees who build and maintain the software product. As an Entry Level Engineer, you’ll be expected to develop and maintain lower complexity components under the guidance and tutelage of more experienced team members. ICT5(Level 4): Software Engineer IV. A mid-level engineer should have 3-5 years of experience or a bachelor’s in computer science with a year or two of experience. t doesn’t necessarily have to be at the same company. Apr 22, 2025 · Professionals at the SE VI level typically have 10+ years of experience in Software Engineering. Each level has a specific salary or wage, different skill sets, responsibilities, criteria, and value. L5 (Senior Software Engineer): Engineers with 5-8 years of experience. Software Engineer II: 0 to 1 year of experience BSc students enter at this level. Then crack 100k with a few years of experience. Couple things to note: L{n} stands for Level {n}. A software engineering manager may serve a specific managerial role. ICT3: Software engineers with an intermediate experience level are hired at this level. Sep 21, 2023 · ICT4(Level 3): Software Engineer III. Involves more ownership over features or components, mentoring junior engineers, and contributing to project planning. The skill to research new technologies to keep your company ahead of the curve. D. Staff Engineer (15+ yrs) E-6 Principal Engineer (15+ yrs) E1-E3 are pretty standard, reach the expected years of experience and you're fine. With four to six years of experience, they are entrusted with significant project responsibilities, including system design and architecture. Nov 23, 2022 · Microsoft Software Engineer Average Salary Levels by Seniority and Years of Experience At Microsoft, tech staff are separated into “bands” based on seniority and experience. Senior Software Engineer — $196,000. This is the level most engineers are at internally within Google. An individual's engineering level usually depends on how many years of experience they have, in addition to their skills and knowledge. 20 years ago when I was a 6 days ago · The average Software Engineer salary range in San Francisco Bay Area, CA is from $196,000 to $360,000. Realistically, most everyone can expect to make it to senior after years of experience. Total / At Company 2 days ago · The average Software Engineer salary range in India is from ₹14,74,141 to ₹43,33,737. What Are Software Engineering Levels? Career stage: Still early, but with some significant experience. Work under guidance on well-defined tasks. Engineers handle moderately complex projects and mentor junior developers. L4 - 1-5 years of industry experience, sometimes awarded to high potential new grads and PhDs. Engineer III or senior software engineers have five or more years of experience. Jun 21, 2024 · Becoming a Senior Software Engineer at Level 4 marks a key achievement in an engineer’s career. According to Glassdoor, the average salary is approximately $200,000/year. Sep 4, 2024 · Software Engineer has an amazing career path wherein after achieving technical and interpersonal skills, you’re promoted to senior-level engineers and the journey continues. Feb 16, 2025 · The average annual salary earned at this level by a software engineer is $193,414. After more years, senior engineers make ~130k and for many companies the only way up from there is management. Leads small to medium-sized projects, designs systems, performs code reviews Sep 29, 2022 · But you’ll want to eventually show that you can work well with minimal supervision in order to get to the next level. This level marks the start of managerial software engineer levels and is assigned to an individual with six or more years of experience. They also have an enormous amount of technical knowledge. Build high-velocity teams. Software engineer 2 (levels 61, 62) - Usually for candidates with a few years of experience. Mar 12, 2025 · Principal Software Engineers necessarily have years, if not decades, of experience and are tasked with high-level software engineering work. 5 days ago · The average Software Engineer salary range in Chicago, IL is from $107,800 to $180,000. View Software Engineer salaries across top companies broken down by base pay, stock, and bonus. They should be proficient in one or two languages/frameworks and have dabbled in a few other languages. Using mostly data from levels. SDE1 is promoted to SDE2 and SDE2 is promoted to SDE3. Typically three years. So L4 = level 4 E{n} stands for Engineer {n}. Influence: Organization / Company; Scope of work: Larger projects spanning multiple halves/years that are crucial to the organization. A software engineer with 1-4 years of experience can earn an average of $143K, while a mid-career engineer with 5-9 years of experience can earn $189K. I have worked with a lot of programmers from different countries in various business sectors from telecom and insurance to online banking and health care. Google Software Engineer Levels: Levels 7-8. 6 days ago · Experience: Typically 10+ years of experience, with a strong technical background. Jan 28, 2025 · A senior engineer can be an official job title or an indicator of seniority you earn after working with a company for years. Level 3: Staff Engineer. In this role, engineers are responsible for leading large-scale projects, mentoring junior team members, and driving technical innovation. You should be showing signs of proactiveness Senior engineer (levels 63, 64) - Usually for candidates with >5 years of experience, but I'm sure there are exceptions. 59/60 is entry level SDE 61/62 is SDE 2 63/64 is Senior SDE 65+ is Principal 60 is totally reasonable for 1-3 years experience. Feb 16, 2025 · A level 4 software development engineer with 4+ years of industry experience is eligible to be an SDE-II. Jul 6, 2024 · Recent salary data from levels. The median yearly compensation in United States package totals $248K. Level 2 - Senior Software Engineer. 6 days ago · Software Engineer compensation in United States at Zoom ranges from $147K per year for ZP1 to $368K per year for ZP5. Mar 5, 2024 · How Many Years of Experience is Senior Level Software Engineer? The number of years of experience required for a senior-level software engineer can vary depending on the organization and the individual’s skills and achievements. Hierarchy Principal engineers are in higher-level positions compared to senior engineers. A proven history of nurturing talent. A Junior Engineer or Engineer I has approximately 1-2 years experience with at least one language of focus. On average, they typically have around 5 to 10 years of industry experience. What does it all mean? Aug 28, 2024 · L4 - Software Engineer: Mid-level engineer, often with 2-5 years of experience. Mar 5, 2025 · Curious about Software Engineer Levels and how they impact career growth? Explore the roles, skills and salaries at each stage to plan your path. May 14, 2020 · L3 - Full time, entry level Software Engineer, also known as the “new grad level”. A software developer at level 5 enjoys autonomy and has Mar 4, 2025 · What is a software engineer level? A software engineer level refers to an engineer's role or position within a team or organisation. They should be well-versed with software testing tools, source control, and code review Mar 13, 2021 · (L2, 2-4 years of experience) Senior Software Engineer — $128,759 Software Engineer (Entry Level) — $152,000. Sometimes, these years can be divided into categories. This person is an experienced individual contributor with a deeper technical understanding. L4 (Software Engineer): Requires 2-5 years of experience. Although originally used to evaluate software engineering in the ‘90s, the approach can be easily reapplied to our reality. They have a long history of impactful technical achievements, leadership roles in previous positions, and recognition as experts in their respective fields. Feb 1, 2021 · The Entry Level Engineer is typically a new graduate with a freshly minted university degree, and may have up to two years of applicable professional experience. Has two to four years of experience and has already participated in several projects; Has basic skills in debugging software An entry-level Software Engineer I with less than 1 year of experience earns about $80,004. With several years of experience, these professionals are crucial for driving projects forward and Jun 12, 2024 · SDE 1 is an entry-level position for a software engineer who has recently graduated (BTech/Mtech) or has professional experience of less than 2-3 years. See how much the top companies are paying for software engineering talent by level. Mar 17, 2025 · These levels highlight the experience and expertise of an individual, ranging from junior or trainee engineers to senior software engineer roles. Level of ownership: The median total compensation package for a Software Engineer 1 at Cisco is $125,905. Many aspiring programmers hope for a six-figure salary when considering working at Amazon. Dec 26, 2024 · L3 (Software Engineer): Entry-level engineers with 0-2 years of experience. Feb 25, 2025 · Experience Level: 10 years or more. Oct 11, 2024 · Has the ability to repair small, less significant bugs or errors in software, and work on internal features and tools of the software; Mid-level developer. Read more! Discover the levels of software engineer, different SDE levels like SDE 1, SDE 2, SDE 3 and how each work position evolves. L4 Engineers: Typically have a few years of experience and handle moderately complex projects. fyi shows that the average salary for an Amazon Software Engineer in the US is around $284,000 per year, with salaries ranging from $180,000 to $644,000 depending on experience and role. Although mostly 5 days ago · The average Software Engineer salary range in Bengaluru, India is from ₹19,74,498 to ₹50,44,036. Engineer III. Progressing to Senior SDE requires demonstrating consistent high performance in complex software projects and an ability to handle increasingly challenging engineering problems Jul 1, 2024 · At this stage, a Mid-level engineer should grasp clean code principles and participate in service design and technical enhancements. However, experience alone is not the View more Software Engineer salary ranges with breakdowns by base, stock, and bonus amounts. Software engineering manager. Sep 12, 2024 · Typically, engineers need between 5-10 years of relevant software engineering experience, with at least a few years as an SDE-3, to qualify for a Senior SDE role. As a Software Engineer II at Google, you hold an entry-level position where you are expected to perform foundational tasks in software development. Manage budgets alongside business goals. The expected years of experience can vary but generally range from 6 to 10 years. At this point, they should have mastered 2-3 May 24, 2024 · Google Level Grading, Expectations and Salaries Software Engineer II (L3 | 0-1 Year of Experience) Role Description. Software engineers might be measured by years of experience, but it's wrong to do so. The L4 and L5 levels are considered mid-to-senior level positions, requiring a certain level of skill and responsibility. ICT{n} stands for Individual Contributor track. Feb 14, 2018 · Microsoft has twice as many levels as a lot of companies. Sep 12, 2024 · Being a Senior Software Engineer at Google typically requires significant experience in the software engineering field. At this level, they typically have about seven years of experience in software development. While a lot of other companies like Amazon and Microsoft use the SDE(Software Development Engineer) job family (SDE-1, SDE-2, SDE-3) to address the different levels of software developers. Jun 3, 2023 · Becoming a senior software engineer usually requires significant experience in the field of software engineering. Apr 7, 2021 · Junior developers usually have 1-3 years of development experience. Years of Experience. E3 Software Engineers are expected to write codes for production and conduct tests under minimal supervision. E-4 you'll need good reviews or overshoot the YOE. It is similar to primary school where there are entry-level engineers with only a few years of experience and programming foundations. This level will make business tradeoff decisions, often mentor others on the team, and lead large chunks of engineering work. Jan 9, 2025 · How does experience impact mid-level software engineer salaries? Mid-level engineers command salaries ranging from $80,000 to $130,000 . This means individual promos are smaller, but should generally happen more often. Here is the average pay for all of them. Software Engineer Level. They are usually involved in coding, testing, and basic software development tasks. View the base salary, stock, and bonus breakdowns for Zoom's total compensation packages. For Employers USD / yr Change Jan 25, 2021 · SDE III (L6): This is a senior software engineer in the greater market, ranging from eight to ten years of industry experience. ICT4: Three to Five years of experience in software development is necessary for this level. Staff engineers can have titles like staff engineer I, II, and III that indicate seniority based on experience. Candidates with equivalent experience must be well-versed in both backend and front-end development (full-stack development). Feb 16, 2025 · Level 4 software engineers at Google are expected to have a minimum of 2 to 4 years of experience or a Ph. Senior Software Engineer (Level 5) Google senior software engineer level is a software engineering Manager I equivalent. Level Name. A senior engineer will lead feature sets, applications and critical product development work. 1. Dec 22, 2024 · An entry-level software engineer (with less than 1 year of experience) at JPMorgan Chase can earn an average of $99K. Senior software engineers typically boast 3 or more years of full-time engineering experience. " They typically request four to six years of experience. The road to the career path in the Software Engineering profession and understanding the skills needed to become one. The classification breaks expertise down into seven stages and uses productivity as the key criterion. On average, a Google Staff software engineer salary is estimated at USD 515,000 annually. L5 - Senior Software Engineer: Typically 5-8+ years of experience. L4. So begins your job search. Thus, as the years of experience grow, the SDE level of an engineer also increases. Jan 28, 2025 · Your job title and engineering level will depend on your years of experience, technical skills and level of promotion. . Level 7 engineers at Google are referred to as Senior Staff software engineers. Guide software development managers. Usually, senior people have experience in things that aren't necessarily software-related. Median software engineer salary is ~110k. 3-5 years of experience in software development is required for this level and is equivalent to a Senior Software Engineer position. Sep 23, 2018 · This is another approach to classifying expertise in software engineering by Meilir Page-Jones. Junior Software Engineer (0-5 years) Feb 16, 2025 · Here’s discussing the six software engineering levels at Facebook: Software Engineer Level I (E3) Average base salary: $143,945 per year. zmculq kyf przjdubi nvgg dgdyukfy yse znnyqqya ofsssjrn kanque treaj hvkqd lspsn vnnn akbyxe ctllokl